John Perzel

Is Bill DeWeese following the John Perzel model of powerful to out in 2 years? Find out who joins both men on this week's Winners & Losers.

HARRISBURG -- Sam Smith has been re-elected House minority leader, his spokesman has confirmed to reporters. 

Smith ran against former Speaker of the House John Perzel for the position. 

With John Perzel on the outs with his caucus, the Republican leadership for the next session seems to be set. Sam Smith will more than likely keep his current Minority Leader position. With Dave Argall attempting to run for the SD-29 seat vacated by the death of Jim Rhoades, conservative leader Mike Turzai has teamed up with Smith and will be seeking the position of Minority Whip. Joining Smith and Turzai is Mario Civera who will be the ranking Republican on the Appropriations Committee. This ticket is about as diverse of a Republican ticket as you can get. Turzai is a conservative from the southwest, Civera is a more moderate southeast Republican and Smith is a central mainstream Republican who tends a little more to the conservative end.

It was a very good week for Sam Smith, while John Perzel did not have such a good one. Find out who makes this week's Winners & Losers.

It is a rare day when almost everyone in Harrisburg agrees, but today they do. After yesterdays revelation that former-Speaker John Perzel hired an opposition research guy to investigate not only Democrats, but Republican Leader Sam Smith and other Republicans, the future looks cloudy for Perzel.

HARRISBURG -- State Rep. Mike Turzai (R-Allegheny County) told PolitickerPA.com Tuesday during a brief interview that he disapproves of the action allegedly taken by state Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia), who reportedly conducted opposition research on Turzai and other fellow Republicans.

"It's disappointing," he said. "I prefer a positive team approach."

He declined to comment further. 

Turzai has been rumored as the favorite to take over his caucus' minority whip position, but the lawmaker declined to comment on anything regarding the leadership contest.

Turzai was attending Tuesday night's Speaker Franklin Awards Dinner, hosted by the conservative Commonwealth Foundation. 

Minus their Senate counterparts, members of the state House return to session Wednesday afternoon for the first day of their lame-duck session.

Session is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m., with several committee meetings planned through the day. And don't be surprised to see Democratic leaders criticizing Senate Republicans at some point for not returning to work on health care legislation, as the governor asked them Monday. 

But the most pressing topic will remain leadership fights in the House Democratic and Republican caucuses. Democrats must decide whom they will back for Speaker of the House and if Majority Leader Bill DeWeese retains his position.

Republicans will likely react to news their former leader, state Rep. John Perzel (D-Philadelphia), reportedly hired someone to conduct opposition research on House GOP leaders Mike Turzai and Sam Smith.

The session itself is likely to draw rebuke for the Capitol's resident reformers. They have sought to abolish the session because they say it allows suddenly unaccountable legislators to cause mischief.

House Minority Leader Sam Smith issued a statement Monday afternoon criticizing state Rep. John Perzel (R-Philadelphia) after Capitolwire reported the former speaker of the House had hired somebody to perform opposition research on Smith and other Republicans. 

"This is the kind of politics that the people of Pennsylvania are sick of," Smith said. "My interest is to work within the legislature, as leader of the Republican Caucus to address the real issues of the economy, our budget deficit, health care, energy and the real things that are important to the people of this Commonwealth."

Smith is seeking to retain his position as leader of the House Republican Caucus, a position Perzel is reportedly interested in.